Each week, we’ll ask our stable of scribes to weigh in on the three most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.

Which snubbed All-Star has the best case for going to the All-Star Game next weekend?

Steve Aschburner: Let’s see, Ryan Anderson might be in town so … look, what with the GOP debates, the price of gasoline and some of those outfits at the Grammys, my outrage needle is on “E” by the time I get to All-Star (ahem) snubs. But Atlanta’s Josh Smith has had a nice season and could be a helpful replacement pick if the East needs one. From the West, Golden State’s Monta Ellis seems like a perfect All-Star Game player – and he could justify a trip to Orlando as a way to bend Dwight Howard’s ear a little about the merits of playing in a different O-town.

Scott Howard-Cooper: Nobody. While there were several deserving candidates who did not get invitations to Orlando – Josh Smith, Rudy Gay, Rajon Rondo, Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap, Monta Ellis, Kyle Lowry – there are no glaring oversights this season. No snubs. Just close calls who did not make it.

Shaun Powell: Has someone come up with an injury yet? Because there can’t be an All-Star addition without a subtraction. That said, Josh Smith (if he didn’t kill his chances with his “kiss enough butt” comment) is likely in the East, while Rudy Gay is on deck in the West. Seeing how injuries are the story of this lockout season, somebody will pull a muscle in 3 … 2… 1 …

John Schuhmann:Other than Jeremy Lin? If stats are what you’re looking for, Greg Monroe is the biggest snub. He’s got better raw numbers than any other center (East or West) not named Dwight Howard. The problem is that his team stinks and he hasn’t yet learned how to be a defensive anchor at 6-foot-11. So I’ll go with Kyle Lowry, who’s the engine for a team that is overachieving in the Western Conference. His shooting numbers aren’t pretty, but the Rockets are so much better when he’s on the floor than when he’s not.

Sekou Smith: First and foremost, there are always going to be guys who feel like they were snubbed during this process because there is no set criteria for All-Star selections when it comes to the reserves. The coaches have their own set of values they use to decide, values that I have already questioned openly. For my money, Hawks forward Josh Smith was the most egregious omission from the list followed closely by Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry, Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay, Jazz forward Paul Millsap and Warriors guard Monta Ellis.

27 Comments

He didn’t just start in the NBA no one seems to under stand that he is a great Point Guard. Like i said no disrespect I just think Jeremy Lin should be able to go I mean he’s a great player and when I was looking at http://www.bulls.com and it said he was unlikely to play in the first place I’m not saying he should be a starter but just like a back up I’m not implying he is some MEGA SUPERSTAR I’m just saying give him a chance and put some one new in the game. Everybody acts likes this is his first NBA games there not He played at Golden State Last Year He could have done the same thing at Golden State as he is doing in New York but he was not given a chance He wanted a chance he got some chance’s but they were always 5-10 time periods. He was given a chance at New York and he took advantage

Dude seriously? ‘Lol’ Deng shldnt even be an all star at all! He is only selected because he is on the same team as D-Rose and the bulls have 1 of the best records in the East. Their thinking when selecting the all star is ‘Lets just pick some cat, dog or monkey from the Bulls because they have one of the top records and there shldnt be just one all star in the team.”

Ppl are snubbing dirk cos his stats are down. But still, he have better stats than some other all stars selected.
Even greg monroe have better stats and more deserving to be an all star than ‘lol deng’

With LaMarcus injured, Millsap could get to sneak in after all but seriously the West have enough other power forwards in the squad with Griffin, Love and Dirk. Rudy Gay or Monta Ellis should be the replacement.

Jeremy Lin for Derrick Rose Let’s get a Good player at point guard not just someone people picked because he was in the spot light but not with Jeremy Lin showing up I mean He’s led the Knicks on a six game winning streak giving knicks fans hope. I mean so many last second points Take the Toronto Game for Instance He led a comeback and with the game on the line he backs down his man takes advantage of the man that’s guarding him stepping back and sinks a Three pointer leaving 0.5 seconds on the clock in the Fourth Quarter winning the game for the knicks. No Disrespect to Derrick Rose but let’s just give a rising star a chance.

‘Melo deserves to be there?! He’s averaging 22 points but taking almost 20 shots per game to get that, shooting 39% from the floor, 29% from the 3-point line and since he’s been sitting they’ve won 6 in a row. Maybe in past seasons he should have been an All-Star, but not this one. Seems to me like a lot of people in New York voted this year.

EAST: Deron Williams(NJ) and Paul Pierce(BOS)? I’m not hatin’ on them i mean come on they are stellar players for their teams but as a fan.. err. i really don’t see why Josh Smith(ATL) and Jeremy LIN(NY) or Rajon Rondo(BOS) couldn’t be in the game. The more deserving? Josh Smith and Jeremy Lin.

Honestly, these All-Star teams are not TOO bad, but there should be quite a few changes to the team.

East: Josh Smith switch for Carmelo Anthony, who stinks on the Knicks, and Rajon Rondo for Deron Williams.
West: Kevin Love for Blake Griffin as starter, honestly better than Griffin in everything except for dunks. Still happy for Griffin
though, as he is going to be fun to watch. Also, Rudy Gay deserves to be in place of Nowitzki. Dirk even said it himself.

Carmelo is at the all star game because people wanted to see him there. Hence the starting forward? Ya Josh Smith should be there over somebody else, but Carmelo is an all star easy. Votes tell the story of what the viewers want to see. I agree with Dirk not being on the team, but I would take Paul Millsap because I’m from Utah ;)

It’s just amazing how you keep understimating Pau Gasol, I mean he’s got better numbers than Paul Millsap in every stat, not to say Josh smith or Al, yet they’re the snubs. L.A.L already has 2 players on the ASG?, we’ll they deserve a 3rd.
The reason is very simple, they only play with 3 players !! Just look for another team that has so little productivity from 2 starters and the whole bench, there’s none.
But ofcourse, blame Gasol for everything that’s wrong, it’s disrespectful that he hasnt even named on this blog.

In my opinion, Josh Smith is the one guy who really deserves to be an All-Star this season. With Eastern All-Star starter Carmelo Anthony still out with a groin injury, Smith just might get his first All-Star appearance if Anthony doesn’t recover in the next week or so.

Monta Ellis is the biggest snub, simply because it´s not just the first time… He is just as talented and explosive as Westbrook and Rose..the difference is he don´t have KD or Deng.. put him in Boston right now and the small 3 are gone…it´s Ellis and Rondo who will run the show…